Falling Into Place, a songfic
by HanaYuuki Tensha
Summary: Keith and his sister, Sierra, turn to Galaxy Garrison for some info--and find out that they have a spy! A tip, however, sends the Voltron force to Saphiria to solve the puzzle of their family past. Title and lyrics from song by The Afters.
1. Heart To Heart

As Commander Keith Kagone approached the control room, he heard two voices from within; one, the soft, melodic tone of Princess Allura, the other the deep, wizened Koran. It seemed like they either were arguing or were on the verge of it. At any rate, their discussion, or what he could hear of it, was getting nowhere.

"Your Highness, you of all people should know the consequences of disobeying the law," the royal advisor stated gravely.

"Surely there _must_ be some way, Koran—a loophole, an exception, anything! It couldn't be as chiseled in stone as it seems," she replied, obviously desperate. "I cannot endure another line of princes that are interested in nothing more than gaining Arus _and_ Voltron. It is understandable that the people of Arus are eager for me to wed and produce an heir—that would be as much to their benefit as it would be to mine. But I'm not just looking for a prince that will accept an alliance and marriage. Arus needs a strong ruler who will lead well, who will look out for the people and their needs. And he's the only person who has and will do that. He has almost died on more than a few occasions to ensure everyone's safety, even mine!"

The elder man sighed. "And I agree with you, Allura. But I must admit that I do have somewhat of a selfish motive for objecting. I fear the results of going against the law, not only for you, but for myself, also. As your royal advisor, I would be held accountable for your decision just as much as you, if not more so. I'm sorry."

Keith could almost picture Allura bowing her head in sad resolve as she said, "I guess it was a waste of my time to try, then. I had hoped things would end differently..." He heard her approach the door as it opened and watched her coming his direction. She looked defeated, tired, and hurt until she saw him standing there. Then, a sad smile came to her face as she whispered, "You heard?"

"Only the last bit, Princess," he replied just as softly. The pressure on Allura for her to marry and have children had been cranked up to an almost unbearable level, and neither of them was very pleased about it. In an effort to comfort her, he placed his hands gently on her shoulders, and continued, "And I won't tell a soul about it, all right?" A smile and nod in return was all he needed to confirm that she believed he would keep his promise.

"Commander," Koran's voice called from the control desk, "may I speak with you alone for a minute?" Translation: "Commander, I need to speak with you alone at once."

"Yes, sir," Keith replied, letting Allura's shoulders go and giving her a reassuring smile before he entered the room, standing at attention.

As soon as the door closed behind him, his friend turned around at the desk. Koran looked at him straight in the eyes, brow furrowed with worry, and said, "How much of our conversation did you overhear, Keith?"

"I think I listened for about a minute before she left, sir," he replied.

"What do you think about the situation? And please relax—I do not bite as often as people may tell you," the older man chuckled.

Keith grinned. _Koran's not anywhere near as angry as I thought he might be,_ he thought. _Well, here goes nothing!_ "Well, sir, she was right in saying what she did. You, Allura, and I all know that the law was written to protect not only the royal family, but also the people of Arus. But there are times when it can become a hindrance, such as now. What if there is someone even more qualified to lead Arus than a prince, but he was forbidden to marry the princess simply because he isn't of royal lineage?"

Koran nodded. "I know that. And I've been reading through the laws, policies, procedures, anything and everything that I could in hopes that I could find the loophole that is necessary to permit a marriage between the two of you to happen. Thus far, however, I have not found one law that has been a path to that dream of yours'."

Black Lion's pilot started. "How did you—"

His friend smiled knowingly. "I have observed the two of you long enough to know that you really love and care about each other, and I do not doubt that you should be allowed to reign alongside her majesty. And were it not for the law, you would be—even I know that much."

Keith shook his head in amazement; "I can't believe how much I've underestimated you, Koran. All this time I've been warning everyone else not to believe everything that comes their way, and yet here I've been this entire time doing that same thing myself."

The older man held up his hand and said, "Think nothing of it this time. At any rate, I will continue to research the matter and let you know if anything crops up. Please be patient with this—it might take a long time. I get the feeling that somehow I might have missed something. However, Keith, you should know that there is no guarantee of my success. And I trust you will accept whatever may come of it."

The realization that, despite his help, Koran might still not find what they sought so desperately sobered Keith's mood easily. "Yes, sir—I understand."

Just then, a small silvery-blue cruiser unlike any Keith had seen before came into focus on the monitor.

"I wonder who it is," Koran said, confused. "We weren't expecting any visitors today. I'll see if I can make contact with the pilot." After pressing some buttons on the console, he spoke, hoping to get feedback from the visitor. "This is Koran, advisor to her majesty Princess Allura of Arus, trying to make contact with you. Please identify yourselves, or we will have to shoot you down."

Suddenly, a girl that looked a little bit like Keith with her hair in a braid over one shoulder came into view on the monitor. "It's all right, sir—I'm alone and unarmed," she politely responded. Then, in an excited tone, she laughed, "What in the heck? Keith! Is that really you?"

"Sierra?" Keith asked, astonished.

"Commander, you know this young lady?" Koran asked, his eyes darting between the two of them.

"Yes, sir," Keith replied, somewhat embarrassed. "She's my older sister."


	2. In The Shadows

About half an hour later, the Voltron Force was sitting in the lounge talking with the newcomer. Despite being older than their leader, Sierra Kagone was shorter; she was also a little less mature than Keith, so she had never surpassed him in rank. She had met Lance, Pidge, and Hunk while they were at the space academy, so it took no time at all to get reacquainted with them. Yet somehow, although they had never seen each other before, she and Allura had become instant comrades.

The guys watched as the girls talked with amazement.

"You'd think that they had telepathy or something," Lance whispered to Keith, "the way that they can just blab for minutes on end and know exactly what each other is trying to say."

"Not really, Lance," his friend replied. "At least, I don't think so—this is the first time I've seen her interact with another girl like this in ages. Usually, it takes Sierra a fairly long time to make friends with them and just seconds to befriend a guy. She seems to guard herself pretty carefully from anyone she cannot 'read' clearly, if you understand my meaning."

Lance looked at Keith's sister with genuine concern. "She's been burned before?"

Keith nodded somberly. "Quite a few times. Even though she's a great judge of character, she has been deceived on more than one occasion. And I cannot say anymore—I've already told you more than I should have." Upon seeing his second-in-command's reaction, he continued, "Just don't go after her too soon, Lance. We all know what you've been like in the past—even Sierra."

The lieutenant humbly nodded. "It'll be hard to do, but I can wait. For right now, though..." Then, rising from his seat, Lance walked over to the two women and smiled at the newcomer. "Well, Sierra, how about you sit next to me at dinner tonight? What do ya think?"

Sierra's face lit up. "I'd like that, Lance—just like old times. Thanks!"

"Oh, and Lance? Would you mind helping Sierra get settled in?" Arus's princess asked him.

At any other time, he might have balked against the idea, but he was glad to see a familiar face from Earth—especially a feminine one. "Nope, not at all! Shall we?" he said, leading their guest out of the lounge.

No one was aware of the feline shadow hiding in one of the vents in the room. And just as quickly and quietly as if it was a ghost, it disappeared.

Lotor, meanwhile, paced back and forth within his newly finished ford on the ice planet Neeb. He had released Hagar from the Dream Realm a few days before, a defiant act against his father Zarkon, who had resumed control of the remnants of Planet Doom after being exposed as a traitor. The old witch had resurrected her cat Coba, with what she claimed was new and improved magic. Now she sat beside Lotor's throne, a more loathsome, more twisted copy of his father's, watching the events surrounding Sierra's arrival through Coba's almost serpentine eyes.

The banished prince of Doom finally stopped pacing and looked at Hagar. "I want answers, old hag—how can I make Allura mine? You always claim to hold the answer for everything in the universe. Now I demand a response! Quit staring into that hunk of glass, and tell me what to do already!!!"

"Patience, my prince," she replied, "for the time is yet to come. From what Coba has shown me, it looks like Keith has a visiting relative. It seems that she and the pilot of Red Lion have somewhat of a connection."

"So what? Whoever she is is not the one that I want to obtain!" he bellowed, turning on her fiercely.

"My source from Galaxy Garrison also inform me that the Alliance is slowly letting its guard down with Voltron back in their good graces."

Lotor spat on the ground in front of him. "I do not care—even if Galaxy Garrison does drop their guard, it will not help me gain Allura."

"Certainly not at the beginning, but you can bring them down slowly, and eventually, Allura will be left without a choice other than to agree to marry you." Hagar's cruel smile made it's way to her face. "I already have more than a dozen contacts ready at my disposal to obtain all of the information you'll need to do so, and then some—protocols, codes, databases, and more. The list is practically endless. You need only wait until they have given you what you seek there, and then take over all nine hundred plus Alliance planets, including Arus itself."

The disgraced son of Zarkon saw the reasoning of the plan, and nodded his approval. "I can't say that I completely agree with you, Hagar; I wish to have Allura now. Still, it would be killing two birds with one stone—control the Alliance and marry the Princess." Then he sneered. "And I will not only have Voltron for myself, but I will be able to destroy each and every one of its pilots—starting with that accursed commander! How long before we can begin, Hagar?"

"I am sending the message to your servants at this very moment—it will take a few months to accomplish, but patience will seem to speed up the process."

Lotor frowned at this. "You know that I do not like waiting."

"True, my prince, but it is crucial that you wait for the right time to strike. Do not try to move sooner, lest you alert your enemies, or too late, for fear that they will become too strong for you," Hagar stated.

"Very well, then—let us begin," he said between gritted teeth. And then, in his mind: _And it had better be worth the wait._


	3. Kickin' It

I'm sorry about the lack of uploads lately—I've had a severe case of writer's block. But now I'm back, and hopefully I'll be updating more frequently. Thanks for your patience with me. :)

The next morning, as the Voltron Force was preparing for martial arts practice, Sierra made her way to join them. Nanny and Koran were already there, trying to convince Allura to return to the castle for her studies.

Koran would usually have told Arus's young ruler that, "Martial arts is not a thing for a princess to participate in." However, at this point, he wasn't really convinced about the matter and had actually started throwing his support behind Allura in her decisions. For one thing, he had given that speech countless times. And for another, Lotor was always a threat to Allura's safety, and the other team members weren't always around. Maybe, he felt, it was time to lighten up a little—besides, where was arguing against self-defense lessons getting him?

Nanny, on the other hand, wasn't going to be so lenient. "You cannot do this anymore, Your Majesty! Bah! To think that I have to put up with you being surrounded by all of this testosterone!"

"Good morning, everyone," Sierra said, cheerily.

The team, Nanny, and Koran faced her and returned the greeting.

"What's going on here?" she inquired.

"Her Royal Highness is falling behind with her studies and learning the unladylike sport of martial arts, instead," Nanny complained. Koran just shook his head with an "I'm-only-an-innocent-bystander" look on his face.

"Wow, that is pretty bad," Sierra replied as the gears in her head started turning.

"Sierra!" Keith exclaimed with embarrassment.

"Lighten up, Keith—I'm not saying I'm less guilty about that, but I think I have an idea that might just help Allura," she answered

It suddenly dawned on Lance, who had been silently watching the scene before him, what Sierra was suggesting. "Sierra, do you mean like when the guys and I helped you with your studies?"

She looked directly at him and beamed. "Exactly! Integrate a subject with self-defense lessons!"

Keith nodded. "Well, I'm all for it. Koran?"

The royal advisor thought for a second, intrigued at the idea. "I'm not exactly sure how that would help Her Highness, Sierra—would you care to explain what you mean?"

"Oh no! Her Majesty must not do these unladylike things, Master Koran!" Nanny protested firmly.

"Nanny, may I remind you that Princess Allura is of legal age to make these decisions for herself without our help if she so chooses." Koran stated firmly. It was not a reminder, Nanny knew—it was a direct order to leave Allura well enough alone.

With that, Nanny threw her arms into the air and yelled, "_That is it—I've had enough of this! I quit, and I mean it for certain, this time,_" running to the castle, crying fake tears.

Allura shook her head at the sight. "I'm afraid that Nanny has been doing that a lot lately, although she never leaves like she says she will. I'm sincerely sorry that you were made to witness her acting that way, Sierra."

"Don't worry about it, Allura—it's okay," Sierra replied with a smile.

Koran cleared his throat to get their attention. "At any rate, Sierra, how do you intend to integrate the Princess's education with self-defense? What do you mean?"

The young lieutenant nodded at the guys as she said, "Actually, it would be better if we demonstrated how it works."

Now Koran was thoroughly interested. "Very well, then—proceed."

Keith, Lance, and Sierra formed a triangle, while Pidge, Hunk, Allura, and Koran stood back to watch. "Ready, Lance?" Keith asked.

"Aw, yeah—bring it on!" Lance taunted.

"Sierra?"

"Right—let's go!" she replied.

"All right, then—first topic is literature:

The name of the demon in C.S. Lewis's 'The Screwtape Letters,' the main character who is held responsible for dragging his patient's soul to Hell."

"Wormwood!" Sierra stated.

"Score one for Sierra—get ready for a high kick. Lance, three seconds to answer this question to block:

Wrote 'The Client'."

"John Grisham," Lance replied.

"Right! Kick and block!"

"_HYAH!_" Sierra shouted, as Lance raised his arm to protect his head.

This went on for several minutes, and it went from Lance blocking Sierra's attacks to Sierra blocking Lance's blows. Each had their share of correct answers and defense maneuvers, and sometimes wrong answers and direct impact. Pretty soon, Pidge, Hunk, and Allura had joined in, and the entire group was enjoying the workout of both mind and body. Koran, however, went inside quietly—it seemed like Allura had already learned enough, both in studies and in battle. It wasn't her education that worried him, though.

There was still no answer to the questions that plagued him about trying to find some way around the marriage laws. Keith deserved the princess, and vice versa. There just had to be a way to make it work without breaking the laws! So where was the loophole they wanted and needed so badly? Maybe, he feared, there wasn't one. Was all hope for this love lost forever? Was there any hope for them at all? But Koran couldn't think of that right now—he was set to keep watch in the control room in fifteen minutes, leaving him little time to eat breakfast before the group returned from their workout for Lion Practice.


	4. Frustration Station

Yikes! I forgot to restate that VOLTRON and any of the characters within the original series do not belong to me. This is what I get for not paying attention to copyright laws. (*sigh*) Oh, well! Anyways, I'll try to start updating every few days or earlier, okay? Now, to the Lions--er, I mean the story! :D

During the three hours of the team's practice sessions, Sierra had been exercising vigorously. Now, she was walking towards the kitchen for a glass of water, sweating and panting profusely. _Dude, I really need to stop doing this to myself,_ she thought, as she wiped her brow_. Sheesh, when will I learn?_ As she entered, her black braid swinging behind her back, she saw Nanny, muttering to herself over the morning's events.

"She is a royal princess, yet that girl acts more like a commoner than is good for her," the matronly woman grumbled. "Oh, what is to be done about her?" Then, hearing footsteps behind her, she turned around to face the visitor. "Ah! My apologies, Miss Sierra--I wasn't aware of your presence."

"That's all right, Ma'am. I was actually just coming in to get some water before I go running around the grounds again," Sierra replied.

Nanny shook her head, nose in the air. "I do hope you know that running right after drinking water isn't good for you."

"Yes, Ma'am, I'll wait a while."

Nanny sighed. "Good. I wish Allura was more like you in that respect."

Sierra sat down with her water. "Why?" she asked respectfully.

"Well, why shouldn't she be? As Arus's sole monarch, she should be settling down, marrying, having children. Instead, she insists on running around with these hooligans fighting battles that aren't any of her business. It's one thing for her to interact with her citizens, but to leave this planet defenseless and protect others?" Nanny sat down herself, bowing and shaking her head. "I will never understand that young lady."

Sierra looked up at the ceiling with a small smile, thinking quietly while Nanny was speaking. Then she answered, "'All it takes for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.'"

Nanny raised her head and looked at her, and inquired, "I beg your pardon?"

Sierra looked back at Allura's nursemaid. "Edmund Burke once said, 'All it takes for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.' Dietrich Bonhoeffer said the same thing later on during World War II on Planet Earth."

The older woman's brows furrowed. "I'm afraid I don't know what you mean. Are you saying that it is a good thing that her majesty is risking her life all of the time?"

"Well, yes and no. You see, even if Princess Allura is not in battle, I'll guarantee you that she's still at risk. First, there's Loser--ah, Lotor--trying to capture her. If you think ti kwan do is a bad sport, consider the other option of her being forced to marry that moron. At least if she's taking self-defense, she has a somewhat higher chance of warding him off.

"And second, leadership is a lonely occupation, so it's a very good thing that she's so connected with those she leads and follows. Even most of us Terrans know the disasters that can come when leaders won't dirty their hands, just because of birth or social status." Here, Sierra bowed her head in sadness briefly. Then, she continued with a smile, "Besides, the more Allura interacts with those from other planets, whether as a member of VOLTRON or as a visitor of state, she gains the experience she needs to be the great queen that you and everyone else wants her to be, right?"

Nanny scratched her head. "Hmmh--you know, I have never thought of it that way." She stood up and smiled at her young friend. "Thank you--I think I understand a little bit better. And I will try not to bother Allura as much. I still do not like her gallivanting around with your brother and his friends, but I'll manage."

Sierra, likewise, got to her feet. "Don't worry about it, Nanny--and if Keith and the guys try anything they shouldn't with Allura, then I'll personally knock them out cold."

The royal governess gave a sigh of relief. "All right, then--I trust that you will keep your word to me."

"Hey, no problem! Just let me know if there's anything else you need, okay?" Sierra walked over to the sink with the empty glass.

"Understood. Oh, and Miss Sierra?"

"Yes, Ma'am?"

"Take some water with you--it will save you the time you'd take running back and forth from the castle when you're thirsty. There's a large thermos and some disposable cups in the cabinet that you can use." Yep, Nanny was back in charge.

"Ah, thank you--I'll make sure to take them with me right now," Sierra said with a small chuckle, as she proceeded to do as she was commanded.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Meanwhile, Koran sat in the control room, staring at the monitor. On the outside, it seemed like he was watching the team work on battle tactics; on the inside, however, he was experiencing great disappointment.

_All the research I have done has come to nothing,_ he thought. _What am I missing? There has to be something that can allow Keith and Allura to marry._

Just then, like out of the blue, the idea hit him: _What about Galaxy Garrison? They might have some information about the Commander that might help._

Without hesitation, he proceeded to attempt communication with those who he hoped could help him out. He was immediately connected to Admiral Graham.

"Good day, Koran--and to what do I owe the honor of this conversation?" Galaxy Garrison's head director asked.

"Good day to you as well, Admiral," Koran began. "I was hoping that you might be able to help me out in some area."

"I should hope not--with the VOLTRON force around, you don't seem to need any assistance anymore. What could you possibly need my help for?" Graham replied.

"Don't worry, sir--it isn't military help that we need. I was actually in need of information regarding Commander Kagone's past."

Graham shook his head. "That I cannot help you with, I'm afraid. For one thing, that is classified information, and for another, it is a sore topic for him. You will need to go to Kagone directly in order to find anything out. He's the only one who has access to his files--he made sure of that once he hit legal age."

"So there is nothing that you can do about it?"

"No, there isn't. Besides, Galaxy Garrison has some issues of its' own right now. We fear that there has been enemy infiltration as of late, and almost everything you would need to know seems to have been compromised somehow. I'm sorry."

"This is insane--I am trying to do something for Keith's sake, and now I'm left helpless because of some enemy?"

Graham sighed, and added with exasperation, "Listen, Koran, we don't know how deep the roots are in the ranks here, and for all we do know, one of the VOLTRON force might be suspect, too, so it would be best if you left things alone for now. But if you really feel it necessary to investigate, I can tell you that about twenty-five years ago, a cargo ship from Planet Arus came to Earth to trade supplies, and there were human passengers on board--about five of them, I believe. Why don't you look to see if anything like that was reported in Arusian history books or King Alfor's personal memoirs?"

Koran nodded. "I think I will. Thank you for your time, Admiral."

"Anytime."

Once the communications were cut off, Koran sat back. He had hoped for an immediate answer, but now he was pretty much forced to do more research. _I just hope this is worth my time,_ he thought with a heavy sigh.


	5. Delema Dungeon

"Koran, why were you asking Admiral Graham about my personal information?" Keith asked the older gentleman from behind the control panel chair, startling him. Despite formalities, the VOLTRON commander's voice sounded mildly angry, as it was taking some energy to keep it from overtaking him at this point. Sierra was directly beside her brother, shocked and dismayed herself.

Koran turned to face the younger man. "My apologies, Commander--I had hoped that he might be able to help me. To be completely honest, I'm not getting anywhere with my research on the topic that we had discussed yesterday, and I thought that Admiral Graham might be able to give me information about your family history." He sighed. "I should have asked you for permission first. I am truly sorry."

Keith's demeanor relaxed a bit, as Sierra looked back and forth between him and Allura's advisor. "Apology accepted, Koran--and please forgive me for my rash reaction."

"No need, Commander--but I would appreciate speaking with you in private on the matter."

Keith looked at his sister, hoping she would cooperate. "Sierra?"

Keith's older sister nodded her head respectfully. "Yes, sir. I'll talk with you later, then," she answered politely. But once the door closed behind her, she immediately put her ear to it to try and listen in. A couple of seconds later, it reopened, and she fell into the control room. Thankfully, with her catlike reflexes, she landed on her hands and knees, rather than her face.

"Sierra!" Keith shouted from above her head.

"_YIKES!_" she yelped, getting at once to her feet and saluting him.

"For crying out loud, you're getting to be just as bad as Lance at this sort of stuff," he told her. "Don't even dare to try to eavesdrop on us, Sierra--the doors are sealed airtight and soundproof, so you won't be able to hear anything anyway. And if I find you out here again, I will make you run ten miles with no mercy."

"What-? You can't do that--I'm your older sister," she declared defiantly.

"Yes, but you are not acting like it, and don't even tempt me into pulling out the Superiority Card on you," Keith answered back. "Besides, the cameras in the hallway will send an immediate signal to the control room monitor, and we would be able to catch you if you tried to sneak back. Understood?"

"Perfectly," she huffed, pouting as she strode down the hallways to the guest room.

After ensuring that she wasn't coming back down the corridors, Keith returned to the control room. "Koran, I'm sorry you had to see that. Sierra's mature enough most of the time, but sometimes she seems to relapse into childhood."

Koran just nodded, as he set the cameras to watch out for a black-braided bandit that might make her way back. "It's all right, Keith--she sort of reminds me of Allura a little bit." He then turned to face his friend. "Of course, Allura never really got to live a normal childhood. Being the sole heir to Arus's throne, her youth was, for all intents and purposes, taken from her when her parents died. You yourself have seen how she has grown up, as well as those times when she has messed up. You go a little easier on her majesty because of that fact; shouldn't you relax some with your own sister?"

Keith's countenance fell slightly as he heard this. Sierra had had some vestige of a normal childhood, but as her innocence had been stolen during that time...

Needless to say, the scarring went incredibly and terribly deep. That was part of why she wasn't interested in "unreadable" relationships. Sure, she wanted to live a normal life, but after what had happened, "normal" seemed unobtainable to her. Although he had been too young at the time to truly understand what had happened, he knew that it was still a throbbing wound in her mind, albeit buried by distraction after distraction. "Yeah, I should probably cut her some slack," Keith admitted somberly. Then his demeanor relaxed a bit. "Anyhow, did you find anything out?"

Koran frowned. "I'm afraid not, Keith," he replied formally. "It seems that Galaxy Garrison might have a network of spies in their midst. At least, that's what I could gather from Admiral Graham. His only hint was that a trader's ship landed on Earth about twenty-five years ago, with origins from here on Arus." That's when his face turned thoughtful. "I don't know why, but now that I think of it, King Alfor and Queen Odetta did help a royal family from another planet escape to Earth. The Drule and Doom empires had not yet split up during that time, and they had just attacked the planet from which they had come. If only I could remember their names, or at least the name of their home planet--that would probably help somewhat."

Keith was thinking hard also. "If I remember correctly from reading up on Arusian history, the last alliance that Allura's parents had ever signed was twenty-five years ago, with the royal house of Saphiria."

"Yes, that's it!" Koran announced, as if he had thought of it himself. Then he noticed Keith's disheartened face. "Commander? Is there something wrong?"

Keith looked even more worried. "Yeah, there is. The alliance between their two planets was sealed by betrothing one of the princes of Saphiria to Allura." He turned to face his older friend. "So, Koran, I know it isn't your fault, but it looks like I'm out of the running for her hand."

___________________________________________________________________________________

The royal advisor watched as Keith walked out of the control room. He knew that it would devastate Allura to hear that she was already promised, almost as much, if not more so, than the young man who so badly wanted to be allowed to pursue her. However, she needed to know the truth. But how was he going to break it to her?

_"Koran..."_

That voice! He heard it clearly, and answered immediately. "Good King Alfor! Is it really you, Sire?" he answered in an awe-and-terror-filled whisper.

The ghost of his late friend and king appeared.

_"Koran, my friend, do not hide this from my daughter."_

"Sire, how should I tell her? She will never speak to me again, I know it!"

_"Simply tell her the full truth, and then send her and the VOLTRON Force to Saphiria. There, they shall meet with a very old friend of mine; he shall tell them all that they need to know. They may even learn of what has become of this prince who has been promised to my daughter."_

"But, Your Majesty, what if she does not want to go?"

_"The Commander's sister shall go with them, and will doubtless encourage her in her distress. Go now, and do as I ask..."_

Then, without warning, King Alfor had once more faded away. Koran sat for a few seconds, trying to gather his frayed wits about him. The next thing he knew, he found himself calling for the VOLTRON Force, as well as Sierra.


	6. Ready To Launch

After Koran explained about the situation and what happened during the visit of Allura's late father, everyone was quiet for a second. Arus's young heir and VOLTRON's team commander were especially silent, an unusual situation for all involved. Even the space mice noticed the discomfort.

Hunk spoke first. "So? What are we all doing here pouting, people?"

"Yeah, why don't we at least try to find this mystery prince?" Pidge added.

"Besides, if I remember right," Lance continued, "the betrothal was made with the option of leaving without consequence."

"So you might not even have to marry him if you don't want, and Arus and Saphiria would _still_ have an alliance. Right?" Sierra concluded for the group.

"Perhaps," Allura sighed. She knew her teammates were trying to cheer her up, but somehow she still felt obligated to go through with the promise her father had made with the Saphirian royalty. And this was despite the fact that her heart already belonged to Keith, and apparently vice versa, from what Koran had just told them.

Keith, on the other hand, though he looked resolved, was still tasting the bitterness of heartbreak. He had had such hopes that Koran could help find a way to allow him and Allura to have their dream come true, only to find them dashed against the shore of reality. _It can't just end this way,_ he thought. But aloud, he asked, "Did King Alfor say whether we would find this prince on Saphiria?"

The older man shook his head. "No, he only said that you might learn of his whereabouts. I'm assuming that the king of Saphiria would know something about it, if I heard His Majesty correctly. Other than that, I have not the slightest idea."

"Well, there's something," Allura stated. Then, with a little more enthusiasm, "All right--let's go, then."

"Right," Keith added. "And Allura, since Sierra's cruiser is in the repair bay, would you mind letting her ride in Blue Lion with you?"

Here, the Princess cheered up a bit. "That sounds good to me."

"What do you say, Sis?" Keith asked his older sibling.

Sierra and Keith had patched things up earlier, so she smiled. "I'm all for it."

"Okay then, everyone--let's take the rest of the afternoon to pack. We'll need to have everything ready and in the Lions before dinner, so that we can head to Saphiria immediately after we eat. If we make good time, we should arrive there by early morning our time, mid-afternoon their's. Any questions? Comments?" Keith was in full Commander Mode now.

"Actually, I brought some pocky with me from Earth, if anyone wants some for the trip," Sierra offered.

Pidge, Hunk, Lance, and even Keith started laughing heartily.

"I think 'some' is an understatement with you, Si," Lance chuckled, using his nickname for her. Sierra started blushing a little bit.

Pidge was on the verge of hyperventilating. "Yeah, it's more like you've got several pounds of the stuff!"

"What's 'pocky'," Allura asked inquisitively.

"It's a popular dessert on Earth," Keith replied after he calmed down, "made of long, thin cracker sticks with one end dipped in a flavored coating. Sierra usually gets either the strawberry or chocolate ones."

Hunk said, "Either? It's usually both!"

"Sounds nice--I'd like to try some," the Princess stated.

"You'll like them a lot--even the mice are addicted to them already!" Sierra laughed.

Keith then kindly, yet firmly, reminded them of their plans, and everyone proceeded to do as instructed. Coba, meanwhile, had watched them from the safety of the shadows, and had informed Hagar of all that had transpired before slinking out of the castle.

Most of the group had remained unaware of it's presence. Lance, however, had felt the evil cat's eyes upon them during their meeting, and he was officially on full alert. It wasn't that he didn't like cats--he just couldn't stand the witch's minions, regardless of its' size or shape. Okay, so he definitely wasn't a cat person, but that wasn't the point.

Sierra had noticed the sudden tension that had shown up on his face. "The witch's cat?" she asked. She shared the same disdain for the creature. She actually liked cats herself (at least, she liked them better in pictures than in real life), but whenever something just seemed wrong, her proverbial radar went off like a bat out of--well, you get the idea.

"Yeah--how did you guess?" he replied.

She shrugged. "My allergies are pretty bad around cats, but that weird thing makes them go haywire. Just call me oversensitive, if you want."

Lance smiled. "Nah--you're okay. Come on, let's go pack."

___________________________________________________________________________________

"What?!" Lotor raged at Hagar, having stopped pacing to face her. "You let those fools slip up?! Now Galaxy Garrison will certainly find us out!"

The witch, who had just told him about the Garrison's suspicions, showed her vile smile once again. "But not if they discover the spies' corpses first, Sire. I made certain of that myself once I had found out about it. Any tracks they left leading to your majesty have been duly erased."

"Good work, Hagar--I do not appreciate being served by bumbling idiots. But as for the rest of the plans, what are we to do now?" he demanded, sitting on his throne. "There is certainly no point in trying to corner the Princess now that she and the VOLTRON Force know about the spies."

"True, at least not on Arus," Hagar replied, keenly aware of her master's quickly rebuilding anger. "For Coba tells me that the pretty princess and her five escorts will be going to the long-lost planet of Saphiria to find her betrothed. But we'll make sure to kill him before she can fulfill the promise, won't we?"

The despised prince caught on immediately and slowly smiled his own cruel smirk. "And so we will. All we really need to do is follow VOLTRON to Saphiria, wait for the right time, and then strike that planet fiercely. You are truly a beautifully wicked witch, Hagar--it is quite a pity that your features are so ugly."

"Thank you, Sire--I live only to please you," she answered. But she thought, _Soon, though, my latest potion will be completed--one that will grant me eternal outward beauty. And then you, Prince Lotor, will bow to me and me alone, not that wretched princess._


End file.
